Some of the world’s leading astronomy observatories have reported cyberattacks that have led to temporary shutdowns. The National Science Foundation’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) said a cybersecurity incident on August 1 forced the lab to temporarily shut down the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii and the Gemini South Telescope in Chile. . Other small telescopes on Cerro Tololo in Chile were also affected.
A statement on the NOIRLab website wrote: “Our staff are working with cybersecurity experts to repair all affected telescopes and our website as soon as possible, and we are encouraged by the progress made so far.” August.
It is not clear what exactly the nature of the cyber attacks is and where they originated. NOIRLab states that the organization will be careful about what information it shares about the intrusion, as the investigation is still ongoing.
“We plan to provide as much information to the community as we can, consistent with our commitment to transparency and the security of our infrastructure,” the update added.
The cyberattacks on NOIRLab facilities came just days before the US National Center for Counterintelligence and Security (NCSC) issued a bulletin informing US space companies and research organizations about the threat of cyberattack and espionage.
The bulletin states that foreign spies and hackers are “aware of the importance of the commercial space industry to the US economy and national security, including the growing reliance of critical infrastructure on space-based assets.” “They view American space innovations and assets as both a potential threat and valuable opportunities to acquire vital technology and expertise.”
It is not the first time that astronomical observatories have become targets of cyberattacks. Hackers in October 2022 interrupted business The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile and NASA have been under cyberattack for years. In 2021, the agency suffered the worldwide SolarWinds attack, which NASA officials called a “major wake-up call” for cybersecurity. Source